Sunday, September 26, 2010

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Supergirl #56 (Review)

This was one of those rare weeks where several titles stood out and wowed me when I read them, making it hard to choose one over them all. So it was even a surprise to me when I decided that Supergirl #56 was my favorite issue this week, considering how uneven I have felt about the title and all of the Superman Family books these days.

The creative team of writer Sterling Gates and artist Jamal Igle have been on the title for nearly two years now and are just starting to give the book an identity now that the Superman events are over. Gates is a relatively new writer on the comic book scene and I worried that some of my dissatisfaction with the title was due to the writer and not just the New Krypton events but this story arc is starting to soothe my fears about Gates' shaping of Supergirl.

I will be honest when I heard that Bizarro Supergirl was making her debut I was preparing for another story consisting of Supergirl's reputation getting dragged through the mud with the help of Cat Grant's biased reporting and Supergirl making mistakes and being 'sorry' about what she has done. Thankfully after the story zigged that way it then zagged away with this issue. Seeing Kara's concern for Bizarro Supergirl and wanting to do the right thing and return her to Bizarro World to make up for her mistakes during New Krypton and the familial bonding she sees between the Bizarros and the parallel she makes to herself and Superman was wonderful to read.

I have been critical of Jamal Igle's art on Supergirl in the past but that was before I had the chance to see his art elsewhere. It was then that I realized that it was not his pencils that I did not like but a combination of the inking and coloring of the Supergirl book. This issue did not have any of the problems I usually have with the art and instead it contributed to the fun feel of the story, something I hope continues in the title.

And of course I could not forget to mention the lovely cover by Amy Reeder. I have been a fan of her art since I first saw it in the pages of Madame Xanadu and with that title coming to an end I am happy to see her get work within the main DC Universe books. Her style is perfect for Supergirl and I know she will be doing work on the upcoming Batwoman series but I also hope she gets a chance to fill-in for Igle every now and then on the interiors of Supergirl.

Hopefully this issue is an example of things to come with Supergirl now that the World of Krypton mess that had plagued the Superman books for the last two years is firmly in the rear view mirror. The humor and fun in this issue reminded me slightly of reading the Powergirl book during Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray's run.